Believe

SANTA
My first blog... and I am going to start it by telling you I believe in Santa!  I am 34 and yes I TRULY believe in Santa!  Every year at Christmas I am reminded of holidays past. Reminded of memories and times of joy. Thinking about Christmas I can almost smell cinnamon and apples these candles my mom would burn at Christmas time. I remember the joy we had as children decorating, developing traditions and of course PRESENTS!
When I was very young our family had hit a financial low.  I over the years have heard my brother and my sister recant versions of this story and each of us certainly has our own version, although end with the same point and that's We BELIEVE in Santa.  So, here we were a financial low. We were poor!  My parent's were very good to see that we did not go without, but we were poor. We wore hand-me downs and never got new toys. Those boxes you all in the big churches put together to send to the smaller home missions churches and such; we were the recepient of some of those boxes. We were poor. We lived in a small beautiful resort town, called Dubois. My parent's pastors of the local Assembly of God church. A friendly church with AMAZING people, but like us most of the church was economically faced with struggles.
We had a lady named Jean Riggs whom had taken ill and was brought to Salt Lake City for hospitalization. Shortly before Christmas my father and mother following their pastoral call decided to back us all up and take us to Salt Lake to make a hospital call.  Our short down and back trip was quickly met with a Christmas Snow Storm. Roads quickly closed, and we found ourselves in Salt Lake. As children we were devastated. It was Christmas time!  I remember over hearing my parents discussing our needs. All three of us kids were in desperate need of winter coats. Financially there just was not the money for the purchase. Sears was offering a deal if you applied for a credit card. So, on that credit card went 3 new coats. Followed with a small tree purchased at Safeway and paper sacks used as wrapping paper we had Christmas in a hotel room. I know it unfolds like a lifetime movie. Tears come to your eyes as you think of these three grateful children sitting in a hotel so thankful for winter coats. God had truly blessed us.
...Then there was Christmas!!! Truth is had we been home there still would have not been presents under the tree, but none the less home would have been better than a cold hospital waiting room. There we sat 3 lonely kids waiting for our parents. Santa came into Jean's room, making his way around the hospital patient to patient. My dad requested of him to visit us in the waiting room. Telling him it had been tough and a visit from Santa would be nice. Here Santa came!!  Right in to the waiting room. He started with my brother. My brother although young was still aware Santa "wasn't real". He however indulged. Gift after gift my brother began his list. Then there was me; Barbies and the Barbie travel van, oh and the Barbie dream house with the elevator, oh how I loved my Barbies!!! Then I remember my sister!  Here is where we have some discrepancy see I remember a humble sister. I remember a sister who cried and told Santa she just wanted a "GOOD CHRISTMAS". I remember an older sister who was constantly caring for other and she asked for us to be home and have Christmas dinner. Ham, corn, and mashed potatoes.  I remember her begging for a nice Christmas dinner. Then Santa made his announcement... The weather in Dubois was horrible and his reindeer were unable to land so he had to take a helicopter and that the best he could do was leave EVERYTHING on the doorstep.

It was Christmas Day!  We soon loaded up and headed back home to our home in Wyoming. The whole way my brother telling my dad what Santa said and my dad and mom reassuring us Santa was not real and my dad finding it humorous that Santa told us her would leave everything on the doorstep. Our wishes had not been made known to anyone but Santa. We left the hospital and drove straight home. It was Christmas there was not a store open from Salt Lake to Dubois. We drove in to Dubois and my brother sat up eagerly awaiting arriving home. Each of us kids although in our minds knew it wasn't possible we still somewhere in our hearts were believing it was true. There was no stores open, flights from Salt Lake impossible. There simply was no way that crazy fat guy in the red suit could have granted the wishes of these three children from Wyoming.

People try to tell me Santa isn't real, but that night we pulled into our driveway and on the porch right where Santa said he would leave it... There it was!  My Barbie dream house, my brothers Tonka, and a ham and corn LOTS of corn. There we were the five of us in the midst of a Christmas miracle. God blessed us beyond measure. After that Christmas we Believed!

Not every man in a red suit may possess the ability to make dreams come true. Our family believes miracles come from a little further North than the north pole :-) However, rather he was an angel or God himself that Santa suit that day was not covering his ability to change lives. He touched our hearts and blessed us in a way that we will never be able to repay or understand. Santa gave us a Christmas miracle.